Pipe flanges are generally tightened together by nuts and bolts with a seal between coacting flanges for sealing off the connection between the flanges. However, such seals sometimes leak, and it is frequently not possible nor economically feasible to shut down the pipeline for repairing the leak. Therefore, it is conventional to temporarily seal the leaking flange until the pipeline can be conveniently repaired. One method of repairing a flange is to weld a ring around a leaking flange and then a plastic material such as epoxy is injected between the flanges which hardens and stops any leaks. However, this particular sealing method causes extensive cleanup and generally adheres to the flanges and equipment that was leaking so that it is impractical to repair the flanges, but instead they must be replaced.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for sealing a pair of coacting pipe flanges which will not ruin the flanges, cause extensive cleanup, or complicated repair and replacement procedures.